Chapter 1
"So," Ozpin began, "why did you come to Beacon?"
Ozpin sat in his office, a room at the top of Beacon Academy where he could keep watch on all that transpired. Truthfully, his office was what housed the gears and weights used to power the massive clock on the tower's face. They still did, though their design had been severely compressed to function as an office. He certainly could have used a different room, one much more appropriate to a man of his position, but he liked the eternal clack-clunking of the gears above his head and the simplicity of how they worked. They were order in an otherwise chaotic world – functional simplicity, combined with structural complexity.
Goodwitch, however, would say that he liked staring at the gears when he should be working.
That certainly wasn't the case now. Sitting on the other side of his desk was a teenage girl in a suit of black piloting armor accentuated with brown highlights, fiddling with the bulky helmet in her hands.
"…No reason," she said evasively. "I was just traveling." Tired fingers combed through her hair, avoiding the long ears atop her head.
Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked.
With a huff, the girl schooled herself into a ramrod straight posture and averted her eyes from him, never looking higher than his scarf or jacket.
"Yes, sir."
Pouring her a cup, Ozpin looked the girl over, analyzing her. She was short, maybe not as short as Ruby Rose or Weiss Schnee, but she definitely wouldn't stand higher than chest level. She had high cheek bones and a sharp, pointed nose, giving her face an angular appearance. Reddish-brown hair looked like it had been chopped back with a knife, one that had come perilously close to lopping off the fox ears on her head, which were now swiveling back and forth and searching for danger. The girl, a Faunus, was nervous. That much was plain to see, even despite the heavy bangs that waved in front of her eyes.
She had a slight build, scrawny even. Bright blue eyes stared at him warily as he passed her the mug, searching for any sign of deception before snatching it and gulping half of it down in one shot.
"O-oh, wow," she said dreamily. "That's good, the stuff we got back at Atlas tastes like piss."
Her smile lingered for half a second longer before paling. "S-sorry, sir," she mumbled, bowing her head as her ears laid back.
Ozpin chuckled and shook his head. "That's quite alright," he told her. "It does."
The girl smiled – it was barely a twitch of her lips, but it was a smile before she schooled herself again.
Putting his mug aside, Ozpin leaned forward and laced his fingers together in front of his nose. "Now, you must understand that I need to get to the bottom of why you're here and why there's an Armor on my front lawn. First things first… what is your name?"
The girl immediately shrank at his authoritative tone, glancing between him and Goodwitch at his left side before clearing her throat. "U-uh, it's… Constance, b-but I prefer Connie, sir," she said.
"Just Constance?" Ozpin asked, even as Goodwitch ran a search on the name.
"Y-yes, sir." She paused, and said, "May I be honest?"
"You may."
"I've had enough of being called by my last name to last me a lifetime."
Smiling, Ozpin leaned forward. "I understand. You don't have to be so formal, Miss Constance. This is a place of learning, not a military academy."
Connie winced.
"Where are you from?"
Shaking off her discomfort, Connie straightened herself again as she answered, "Atlas, sir. Ironwood Academy."
"Ironwood?" Ozpin questioned, frowning. "You mean to tell me you ran from one of the most prestigious academies on Remnant?"
Nod.
Ozpin leaned back, once again analyzing her weary posture and pained expression. "May I ask why?"
Connie glanced up at him, only to look back down her knees. "I-I…"
"Constance Carlisle."
Connie stared wide-eyed at Glynda, who was still tapping at her scroll – she had tracked down Connie's identity from only her first name and her last location, using the information to her full advantage as she pressed on. "Seventeen years old. Was first enrolled in Ironwood Academy at the age of twelve, and hasn't been home since. Mother and father died three months before her enrollment. Has shown little better than average scores in conventional combat, but has shown exemplary abilities as an Armor pilot. She was rated as one of the finest pilots ever trained, but dropped out three months ago."
Glynda pushed her glasses up her nose. "It's hard enough for a pilot to be called exemplary with so much focus on Hunters, let alone in Ironwood Academy. It's also highly suspicious that someone of your caliber, especially someone about to graduate, left school without a word," she stated.
"Just what is your story?" Ozpin asked, hands steepled in front of his nose
Connie gulped, tense and ready to bolt. "I-I…"
"You can tell us, or you can tell the police why you smuggled stolen military equipment into Vale," Glynda pressed.
At this, fire lit in the girl's eyes as she clenched her fist and shattered the handle of her mug, which then broke when it hit the floor and sloshed coffee all over her boots. "She's mine," Connie hissed. "I bought her frame, I installed her parts, I oversaw her upgrades, I bought her license from Ironwood himself."
She leveled a glare at Glynda, her gaze turning icy-cold. "Don't you dare insinuate that I stole her. She's. Mine."
Connie's fury only lasted a second longer before she quailed and leapt to her feet, hands tucked close to her chest defensively. "I-I apologize ma'am, please forgive me!" she cried, and bowed deeply. If Ozpin looked closely, he could see she was trembling.
Glynda, for once, was speechless at the sudden display. "That's… fine, Miss Carlisle. Just… please control your temper; we're only trying to get to the bottom of things."
"Indeed," Ozpin agreed, eyes never leaving Connie's trembling form. "Miss Goodwitch, I believe it would be best if you left for a moment."
Glynda frowned. "Professor Ozpin, that wouldn't be wise."
Ozpin gave her a questioning glance. "How so?"
Leaning forward, Glynda shot the Faunus girl a look before whispering in the headmaster's ear, "She's a complete unknown, Professor. She may be in the White Fang – you know as well as I do that you'd be a perfect target for assassination."
In an even lower voice, she continued, "The Queen may be making her move at this point."
Either she wasn't quiet enough or she underestimated the sensitive hearing all Faunus shared – something that Ozpin doubted – but Connie winced at Glynda's words all the same. Ozpin noticed and gave Glynda a reassuring nod.
"Please, there won't be any danger, either from her," he gave Connie a gentle nod, "or from me. Two people in one room is quite enough of a crowd, wouldn't you say?"
Goodwitch held his gaze a moment longer before she rolled her eyes, clicked her tongue, and stalked out of the office, letting the door slam behind her.
Ozpin shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "Now-"
"What is my punishment, sir?"
At this, Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
Still refusing to look up from her bow, Connie continued, "Even if you run a different facility, I still raised my voice to a superior officer. What is my punishment?"
Ozpin was quiet. Outside, he was the very picture of calm, hands folded on his desk as he looked at the girl over his glasses. Inside, however, he was fuming. Furious. Not only at the girl's submissive attitude, but at his friend, James Ironwood. Either through bullying or treatment from the teachers, Ozpin could see the girl had been beaten down many times before.
Not to be insensitive, but she reminded him of a dog that had been beaten for drinking water the wrong way. It learned to expect punishment, and so had she.
Ozpin stood, grabbing his cane before walking around his desk. "Don't bow," he said firmly, standing before her.
Connie held the bow a few seconds longer before cautiously straightening herself, keeping her gaze fixed at a button on his coat.
"Look me in the eye."
She gulped, trembling violently as blue eyes met brown for the first time in the conversation.
Ozpin drew in closer, examining her before wiping a finger under her eye. Even as she recoiled with a pained hiss, Ozpin rubbed the concealer between his fingers which had hidden an old, nearly healed black eye. Taking his cane, he gently patted along the girl's legs and frowned every time she hissed or winced. He did the same along her arms and shoulders with the same results. Still, it was when he nudged her side that she yelled in pain, finally taking a step back and away from his cane.
Ozpin was silent as the girl schooled herself once more into her rigid posture, shuddering as her rib complained.
"Never hide it."
Connie blinked, confused, as she hesitantly met Ozpin's watching gaze. "…Sir?"
"That is your punishment," Ozpin said. "Never bow, and never hide your pain - or yourself - again. I know all too well how the Faunus are treated in Atlas, and I apologize for all you've been through up to this point. I can understand your need to run from an environment such as that."
There was a moment where Connie took a breath, ready to say something, but she bit it back and squared her shoulders.
"You're free to speak your mind, Miss Constance."
Despite his reassurances, Connie stayed quiet.
The headmaster leaned back against his desk, taking in the girl's stoic expression. "I can't promise you won't feel pain in the future, but I can offer you something… different, than what you've experienced before. Just answer me this…"
Connie was silent as Ozpin looked at her over his glasses.
"Would you like to join my school?"
Disbelief plastered itself on the girl's face. "…Why?" she asked after some hesitation.
Ozpin smiled. "Because you are a Huntress."
Connie stared straight ahead. "No sir," she disagreed. "I'm just an Armor pilot. My job isn't as important."
"Who do you think keeps the Grimm in front of our Hunters, and not at the sides or rear?" Ozpin asked. "Who defends our towns and cities in the night? Huntsmen and Huntresses may the tip of the sword, but the hilt is just as important."
Connie was silent, pondering her response. Finally, she asked, "Why ask me? I only came across your school by accident."
With a nod, Ozpin walked back around his desk to sit, and steepled his fingers as he looked Connie in the eye. "I won't lie to you and say that I wanted you specifically," he said. "I've been thinking this over for a long time, about how to show my students the different aspects of being a Hunter or a Huntress. That once a job is done, it's not over. Your arrival may not have been planned, but your attendance would be beneficial both to you and to Beacon."
Again, there was silence. Several minutes had gone by when Connie looked up and asked, "Sir, may I be frank?"
"You may."
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
At Connie's derisive tone, Ozpin leaned forward and said, "How so?"
Connie leaned forward as well, and while her expression remained neutral, he saw the fire roiling in her eyes as she spat, "Sir, I've seen people beaten over losing a war game. A game, sir. Self-entitled idiots with nothing better to do than to slap a Faunus around, who then get away with it because their daddies are friends with General Ironwood. I've seen teachers that would rather join in than stop it. Tell me how that's beneficial, sir."
"I would say that it isn't," Ozpin said, his tone grim. His response took Connie off guard, her retort dying before it even left her mouth. Ozpin continued tiredly, "I wouldn't be the first to say that some ways are more flawed than others. I've made more mistakes in my life that most people do in a hundred. But those mistakes taught me what not to do, and what I see before me is a talented young woman who's been wronged many times in her life. I know that talent like hers shouldn't be squandered, even if she's trying to do it to herself."
Connie's head jerked up, only to see Ozpin smiling gently at her.
"Both are equally as foolish," he said.
She didn't respond, instead staring at the helmet in her hands.
"Your views are just as warped as those of your past peers, but I assure you that isn't the case for everyone," Ozpin said. "Give us one month to show you that not everyone is as…"
He paused, trying to think of the most… politically correct word to use.
"Tyrannic?" Connie offered, her tone flat.
"…tyrannic as Ironwood," Ozpin finished.
The clunking of gears filled the silence as Connie thought. She was uncomfortable with the notion that anyone would simply respect her for her skills, but to be giving her an offer to join the most prestigious school in Vale? And by reading a second-hand report, no less? The incredulous side of her took over, and she opened her mouth-
But what if he can?
The niggling thought at the back of her mind stopped her from refusing outright. As she thought about it, the thought turned into a demand she couldn't ignore:
Accept the offer.
It was equally as powerful as her doubt.
Connie sighed. "Fine, sir. But if at the end of the month I'm not convinced, I'm leaving."
Ozpin nodded. "Of course, Miss Constance."
-O-O-O-
SOME HOURS LATER
The registration process, Connie found, was not a simple one. In addition to verifying her Huntress-in-Training license, she also had to give off her weapon licenses and piloting license, something which nearly made her regret ever overhauling her Armor. With so many abnormal parts, she had to run through each and every one of them and how they worked. It was tiring, and she found herself with the thought that gouging out her eyes with a spoon would be more productive.
Still, it was finally over.
"As you know, you'll need to undergo Initiation before you are able to attend classes and put yourself on the student roster," Ms. Goodwitch said, tapping at a scroll as she led Connie through the hallways of Beacon, darkened now that it was past curfew. "You'll be in a spare room on the fifth floor for now, unless we find one better suited or if you wish to move. Furthermore, until such a time that you decide to stay with us, you'll only be allowed to take our general education courses."
Connie nodded, glancing at the nameplates of the teams on the doors – CVFY, PSFN, CRDL, VLKR. Suppressing a shudder at the thought of having to work with all of these people at some point, she focused on the dark hallway ahead of her. With her superior vision she could see the hall continued for quite some time, branching off occasionally. She was pleasantly surprised to find that Beacon was practically a hotel. Clean smelling with fresh paint and thick red carpets, she was almost ashamed to be treading its halls with her booted feet.
Almost.
Finally, Glynda stopped at an unmarked door at the end of the hall, next to a window. Its neighbor was a door for a team called RWBY, while across the hall was for one named JNPR. As much as she hated it, Connie resigned herself to the fact she would have to be working with these people every day.
Still, anything would be better than before.
Glynda turned to Connie, still tapping away at her scroll. "This will be your room, at least for the time being. As you're the only student without a team you'll be bunking alone, but if you find a team you prefer working with, we'll try to make accommodations."
Connie nodded, standing at attention. "Understood, ma'am."
Glynda stared at her for a moment, making the girl uncomfortable. Then, the teacher frowned and leaned in closer. Though the woman intimidated the hell out of her, Connie tried her best to stand her ground and look her in the eye.
"…Let me make one thing clear," Glynda said. "This is an establishment for the best of the best. We do not tolerate anything less than brilliance. I do not tolerate anything less than brilliance. If you perform less of what Professor Ozpin expects of you, I'll escort you out myself."
She pushed her glasses up her nose. "Do I make myself clear?"
Instead of answering, Connie snapped her arm up in a salute. "I won't let you down, ma'am."
Glynda held her gaze before leaning back, nodding. "Very well, then. Tomorrow will be your Initiation, so I suggest that you get some rest. If you succeed you'll be issued your scroll, but just know that you need to be in your… vehicle and arrive at the Beacon Cliffs by the time Initiation begins. Now, if that is all, I'll take my leave."
Without waiting for an answer, she walked around Connie and headed back down the hall. However, she stopped after a few steps.
"Sir and ma'am are fine to use, but I would prefer if you called me Professor Goodwitch," Glynda said before turning the corner. With that, she was gone.
Connie frowned slightly as she muttered, "Yes… Professor Goodwitch."
The feeling startled her, and yet… it felt good. Shaking her head, Connie pushed through the door to her room, revealing it to be a fairly standard affair with four beds - two on either side of the room - with an added kitchenette. The back and right hand walls had windows overlooking the school grounds and the Emerald Forest, respectively, though both were cast in the moon's glow. Still, it was just bright enough that Connie could just make out the outline of her Armor below, parked before the massive statue in front of the school. Connie couldn't help her smile, even as exhaustion nearly sent her to the ground in a heap.
She dropped her duffle where she stood and collapsed in the nearest bed, still clad in her piloting suit, and pulled her knees up to her chin. Within seconds, Constance Carlisle had passed out.
